On Thursday, the Moroccan Football Association announced its “agreed” parting ways with Bosnian-French Atlas Lions coach Vahid Halilhodzic almost three months before the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation said in a statement that the decision was made “in light of differences and differing views (…) on the best way to prepare the national football team for the final” of the World Cup.
The statement did not specify the identity of the coach who will replace Halilhodzic, stressing that the federation “will provide all the means and opportunities to prepare the national team well for participation in the World Cup.”
He expressed “great gratitude for the fact that the coach, Mr. Wahid Halilhodzic, ensured, during the period when he was in charge of the national team, first of all, the qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with a promising young team full of great future ambitions” .
The veteran coach managed to get the Moroccan team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they will play Belgium, Croatia and Canada, but got into a dispute with the Moroccan federation over refusing to call Chelsea striker Hakim Ziyech for disciplinary action. the reasons.
There were conflicting statements between Moroccan Football Association president Faouzi Lekjaa and Halildzic on the matter. Whenever the former confirmed the return of the Chelsea star, the Bosnian responded by clinging to the expulsion decision.
His departure has been the subject of frequent local media speculation in recent months, citing the possibility of his replacement by former Wydad Casablanca coach Walid Regragui.
Halilhodzic, who started his career in Morocco in the summer of 2019, has been criticized by the local media for his tactical choices and team composition, especially after he failed to make it far in the Africa Cup of Nations, which was held in Cameroon at the beginning of last of the year. where the team’s journey ended in the quarter-finals on the distribution of Egypt (1-2 after the extension).
